This Time Around
by SandCrystal
Summary: Miyu can't even recognize herself anymore. This time around, it's his turn to find her.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Daa Daa Daa!**

The alarm clock rang loudly, harshly cutting through the peacefulness of the dark room. Seventeen year old Miyu sluggishly sat up, swearing colourfully while rubbing her eyes. She fumbled around on the bedside table for the annoying device and turned it off. Sighing with relief, she glanced at the time.  
9:15 A.M.  
She should have woken up and hour ago! Letting out a little cry of dismay, Miyu sprang out of bed. It was her first day of senior year in school, and she was already late. Ah well, old habits die hard don't they?  
Miyu pushed her long blonde hair out of her face and rushed downstairs angrily. Why hadn't anyone bothered to wake her up? Why hadn't anyone called her names, and infuriated her enough so she would hurry up? Why was the house so deathly silent, even when she noisily slammed the door shut?  
She knew the answer to all those questions, of course, but preferred to be in denial. It had been four years since she had left Japan, over 208 weeks since she had held Ruu in her arms and 75920 days since she had last seen...Kanata.  
Her home was now in the midst of Washington DC, where both her parents worked for NASA. Miyu was very proud of her mother and father, and she loved them dearly. But as she walked into the empty kitchen, she realized just how hard her love was being tested.  
A note had been stuck on the refrigerator door.  
 _"Honey,  
Your Dad and I had some important work come up, so we won't be able to be with you today. Just take a taxi to your college pumpkin. We're sure you'll manage on your own just fine.  
Lots of love,  
Mom and Dad."  
_ "They left again." muttered Miyu as she pulled out a carton of milk and a pack of ring shaped cereal. She hated the fruit flavour, but it was the only one her oblivious mother ever bought. It didn't help that there was no more food in the house.  
She lifted the steel spoon to her lips and sighed against the cold steel. An uneasy feeling bubbled up in her stomach as she stared at her bowl. She wasn't in the least bit hungry, and yet she had to eat, just like she did everything else. It almost felt mechanical now.  
She was tired. Tired of being left alone all the time, exhausted with not having any true friends and sick of missing Ruu, Wanya and Kanata so much that it hurt.  
Her life in Japan had been so different from what she was going through now. She had absolutely no friends here. Her high school had been a nightmare, with constant bullying and name calling. Miyu could never understand how not knowing a certain language properly would make her the target of masochistic teenagers.  
A group of girls, very much like the Mean Girls movies that she had seen, had spent a large part of their senior year traumatizing Miyu. They had stuck stink bombs in her locker, set bubblegum on her chair and even cut her hair on one occasion. With her parents gone most of the time, Miyu had felt it best to deal with all this on her own.  
Miyu had complained to the school principal. Miyu had asked for help. But it only made things worse. She had got badly hurt during dodge ball practice one day and was in immense pain. The girls who had thrown it at her claimed that it was an accident. Miyu had known better.  
Apparently, the most popular guy at school, Alex Stephens, at school had a crush on Miyu, but he had a peculiar way of showing it. He would torment her, call her names, trip her down the stairs and try to make her cry. Perhaps what he wanted was her attention, but for all the notice Miyu took of him, he may never have existed. He never understood why she ignored him. Wasn't he handsome enough? He doubted anyone could be as cool as him, so he kept trying to torture poor Miyu.  
Miyu never gave him or anyone else the pleasure of seeing her tears. She preferred to break down in the school bathroom, when she was alone. After all, she could never face them again if they saw her this way.

The cereal bowl looked even more unappetizing as she realized that senior year wasn't going to be any different. She had been excited over nothing. The same people had graduated along with her and it was futile to think that they would ever change their ways. She skipped breakfast once more as she trudged back to her room.  
Miyu got dressed, in a long sweatshirt and jeans, making sure the scars from the last P.E. class were hidden. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and cringed. Her once chubby cheeks were now sunken and hollow, with stress and lack of a proper diet. She rarely bothered to cook when she was alone, which was most of the time. Her long hair had thinned considerably, the glow almost completely gone. She didn't bother to brush or comb it anymore. What was the point of trying to look beautiful, when there was no one to appreciate it? Her baggy clothes hid her thin body as she bent down to pick up her school bag. She had lost a lot of weight. It was surprising how much damage loneliness could do.

The last time she had been in contact with Kanata was more than a year ago, just when the bullying had been at its peak. She had called him, tempted to tell him how she was suffering, but couldn't bring herself to. She didn't want him to worry about her.  
Kanata had mentioned something about a raven haired girl he'd met at the amusement park, and how he'd asked her out for lunch. Miyu had congratulated him and wished him all the best. She had smiled for him, told him she was proud of him. She had also, shortly after, changed her number and never called him again.  
Thinking about Kanata made her heart hurt so she stopped. She didn't want to know him anymore. What was the point? He had moved on, so she should too.  
But she couldn't. She loved him. She loved him more than anyone else in the world, and she wanted him to be happy. She had decided that he wouldn't be happy with her. She was clumsy, boring, too thin, too frail, too stupid, too annoying, too...too...she didn't even know who she was anymore.  
Perhaps she should skip school and sleep in today. Perhaps she should just give up. She knew she couldn't. One more year of this hell they called high school and she would be free. University couldn't possibly be as bad as this. She had to survive this, for her sake at least.  
She locked the door and stepped out, ready to face the world once more.  
She really hoped the Gods would be kinder to her this year.

 **A/N: Hi everyone!  
Daa Daa Daa was one of the first anime that I ever watched and it has remained my favourite ever since. This story is going to be a little angsty but romance and fluff will definitely follow.  
Leave me a review? Thanks and have a great day ahead!  
Cheers,  
Sandy **


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